Northern Illinois arrived in Detroit for the 2013 Mid-American Conference championship game with an undefeated record. But the Huskies lost 47-27 to Bowling Green, ending their shot at a third consecutive league title.

Star quarterback Jordan Lynch has moved on to the NFL, and Northern Illinois is expected to face a significant challenge in the MAC's West Division from Toledo.

The Huskies have represented the conference well, reaching the Orange Bowl at the end of 2012. But the rest of the MAC has to feel as if there's an opening at the top after Northern Illinois looked so formidable for a while.

"This year is so much different than last year because we have so many people in different roles," Huskies coach Rod Carey said. "We're always changing. Hopefully it's a good change."

Don't write off Northern Illinois yet. The showdown with Toledo — which might decide the division title — will be a home game for the Huskies.

Although Lynch is gone, Northern Illinois has had to replace top talent before and succeeded. The Huskies' Chandler Harnish was the MAC's offensive player of the year in 2011 before Lynch won the award the past two seasons.

Here are 10 things to watch in the MAC this year:

New stars?

Lynch was outplayed in the 2013 title game by Matt Johnson, and now the Bowling Green quarterback is the man dealing with all the hype as the season approaches. Johnson is on the preseason watch list for the Walter Camp Award, which goes to the nation's best player. Also keep an eye on Ball State running back Jahwan Edwards.

Tough act to follow

Lynch finished third in the Heisman Trophy vote in 2013, part of a remarkable 12 months in which the MAC also had a team (Northern Illinois) in a BCS bowl and a player (Central Michigan's Eric Fisher) picked No. 1 in the NFL draft. That stretch will be tough to top.

Home cooking

MAC schools always play their share of big-name opponents, but it's not every day one of them has a chance to do so at home. Toledo hosts Missouri on Sept. 6, and Buffalo hosts Baylor on Sept. 12. Massachusetts will play at home against Boston College and Colorado early in the season.

Taking over

There are four new coaches in the MAC since the end of 2013: Dino Babers at Bowling Green, Chuck Martin at Miami (Ohio), Chris Creighton at Eastern Michigan and Mark Whipple at Massachusetts. Babers takes over the defending MAC champion after leading Eastern Illinois to a quarterfinal appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision.

On the rise?

Akron had lost 19 consecutive conference games before winning four of five down the stretch in 2013, a breakthrough that was perhaps foreshadowed by the Zips' near-upset of Michigan in September. Eight offensive starters return for coach Terry Bowden's team.

West race

Northern Illinois has played in the MAC title game the past four seasons, largely at the expense of Toledo, which has had its share of good teams as well in that span. Can the Rockets unseat the Huskies atop the West? Toledo returns 10 starters on defense, and Northern Illinois returns nine on offense. The teams meet Nov. 11.

Another game to watch

Bowling Green hosts Buffalo on Oct. 4. If they win, the Bulls might have a good shot to win the East since their schedule does not include Northern Illinois or Toledo.

Solich's streak

Coach Frank Solich has led Ohio to five consecutive bowl appearances. Only Northern Illinois — with a league record six appearances in a row — has a longer streak going.

Michigan malaise

Since Central Michigan's division title in 2009, the three Michigan schools have fallen off the pace in the West. Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan are going through particularly tough times, having each gone 1-7 in conference play in 2013.

Early start

So much for scheduling a few nonconference games before the MAC season starts. Kent State will host Ohio on Aug. 30 in the season opener for both teams, and the loser already will be facing an uphill climb in the East.